Air Force crew that delivered baby during Afghanistan evacuation to be awarded Distinguished Flying Cross
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August marked the one-year anniversary of American withdrawal from Afghanistan, and since then, the country has spiraled, as many feared, and it is now in a deep humanitarian crisis.
The U.S. Air Force crew that helped deliver a baby on an Afghanistan evacuation flight last year is set to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross.
"We are proud of the accomplishments of the dedicated crew and thankful that they are being recognized in such a distinctive way," 315th Airlift Wing Commander Col. John F. Robinson said in a statement, according to a Military.com report last week.
Capt. Dennis Conner, Capt. Leslie Green, Lt. Col. Wesley Adams and Tech. Sgt. Leah Schmidt were members of a C-17 Globemaster crew conducting evacuation flights rom Afghanistan during last year's chaotic withdrawal when a woman on board went into labor. Green, an Air Force flight nurse, sprung into action to assist the woman in giving birth.
"The baby was perfect! ... a little bit small; it definitely didn't make it full term, but it came out crying," Green said in a press release after the birth. "She [the baby] seemed to be doing well in this world."
Adams, one of the plane's pilots, credited Connor for making a smooth landing after the midair delivery.
"Someone said, ‘We took off with 270 children, and we landed with 271,’" Adams said in a press release.
The crew will receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, which is given for acts of heroism or extraordinary achievement during aerial operations, for their efforts in a ceremony Monday, part of a backlog of awards for servicemembers who took part in the final days of the U.S. war in Afghanistan.
"Make no mistake, we should have done this last year immediately after the operation, and I recognize our airmen's frustration with the process," Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, said in a statement. "We're making that right, and we've worked with our partners across the Air Force to ensure AMC is able to swiftly and effectively recognize our mobility warriors."